SINGING AND BLOWING TO YOUR HEART'S CONTENT

Maruja Muci Dreaming in Caracas Sony/BMG http://www.marujamuci.com 

Ingrid Jensen At Sea Artistshare Appearing live at the 55 Bar Thursday, January 19th, 2005 For more information visit http://www.ingridjensen.com 

his début release by this Venezuelan singer is a treat to the ear. She brings in influences from her native country, East Coast jazz and her love for bossa-nova (she is a confessed fan of Jobim, and in a conversation with her, she also mentioned following new Brazilian artists such as Bebel Gilberto and Celso Fonseca) in a blend that sends the album seamlessly into various musical directions without losing the core intention of the singer, which is to showcase her talents

Muci's original composition "Keep on Dreaming" features the beautiful acoustic guitar of Brazilian-born José Antonio Daltro, which serves as the perfect background to her clear, soft voice. The classic jazz number "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" appears here in bossa form in an arrangement that somewhat resembles the treatment given to the same song by Jobim and Sinatra in their 1967 collaboration, which the singer says not to have heard before recording her own version.

Sinatra's version, incidentally, was inspired by an earlier recording by Silvia Telles, who had taken on various American standards and recorded them in the bossa format.

But bossa nova is not what Muci is only about. Tale for instance, her take on Paul Young's "Love Is In The Air", which is is miles away from London's dance floors in a more acoustic, intimate feel. "Mala Idea", a song originally by Los Amigos Invisibles (which she was also featured in) has a more subtle feel that better suits her voice. Listen to her take on Jobim's "Chovendo Na Roseira"(sung in Portuguese), which is delivered with such passion that the singer is almost able to claim the song as her own.

The album is refreshing to the ear, and this is a new singer that deserves your attention.While Muci got a distribution deal with Sony/BMG in Latin America, it was independently released here, and can be purchased here through Cdbaby.com

There are not many female trumpeters out there, but this green-eyed blonde has the chops that would make her male counterparts proud. She is clearly influenced by the coolness of Miles Davis, but you can feel a richness of emotion in her sound as you listen to "At Sea", an original composition that is the title track of her new album ,and also the beautiful "As Love Does", another original tune in which she shares the spotlight with Matt Clohesy's bass, which appears very prominently on the track.

Pianist's Geoffrey Keezer contributes his own "Tea and Watercolors" to the album, a beautifully syncopated track that has Jensen playing more subtly, giving more space for the composer and guitarist Lage Lund to appear more prominently.

Pay attention to Cole Porter's "Everything I Love", which here receives a dreamy, semi-psychedelic feel as Hugo Alcazar keeps a londo-based beat on the cajón, a South American instrument frequently featured in Latin Music. The keyboards serve as a carpet of sorts while Jensen freely improvises throughout the track.

Jensen will be celebrating the release of the album at the 55 Bar, which is located at 55 Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. She will be backed by the same musicians that played on the album – Lage Lund on guitar, Geoffrey Keezer on Rhodes and effects, Mat Clohesy on bass and Jon Wikan on drums. The performance will begin at 10 PM, and tickets go for $ 8.